How can one bishop cover an entire synod, such a large part of the church? Answer: they don’t.
Leaders in the Church Part IV: Missionaries
In 2022, the ELCA had 131 missionary households serving in 45 countries around the world. 24 of these missionaries were new, and 24 more were Young Adults in Global Mission, young adults to agree to serve for one year. They served in education, administration, parish ministry, and healthcare settings. This year, that number increased to 29 YAGM volunteers.
Leaders in the Church Part III: Religious Life
Lutheran religious orders? Yes! This comes as a shock to American Lutherans who, for the most part, never come into contact with members of Lutheran religious orders—and in the United States, there are very, very few.
Leaders in the Church Part II: Deacons
While the role of a pastor in the church is very well-defined, the roles of deacons are as numerous as the deacons themselves. A pastor is almost always the spiritual and administrative head of a congregation, but a deacon can be anything, minister anywhere, in any walk of life.
Leaders in the Church Part I: Pastors and Bishops
If you asked people to name a church leader, most would answer pastor. For many people, pastors are the most visible church leaders. In the churches that became the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, pastors were sometimes the only leaders people knew. Yet pastors were the last of the historic clergy (bishops, deacons, and pastors) to emerge.
Living an Ecumenical Life 